US OPEN

September 5, 2023

Gabriela Dabrowski

Erin Routliffe

Press Conference

DABROWSKI-ROUTLIFFE/Fernandez-Townsend

2-6, 6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Why don't you each give us your assessment of today's match.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: It was really long (smiling). The conditions were really tough. Not just, like, the heat and the humidity but of course the crowd as well.

It was wild. I think I said on the court it was like an emotional roller coaster as well. Obviously I have played on that court before, have a lot of memories on that court. To be honest, was just really proud of the way we fought, even when things weren't going our way, and then they were going our way, and then we had chances to close it out and then didn't take it but kept fighting. It really was a roller coaster.

Yeah, it was really nerve-racking. But, you know, we stuck with each other throughout the entirety of the match, and I think that was great. Yeah.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Yeah, like, Gaby said, really long. I'm really tired. It's kind of the opposite of Gaby a little in the sense that I don't have any memories on that court, so now I'll forever remember it (smiling).

Yeah, like, you know, like she said, just to reiterate, emotional match. Which I think every match there's a lot of highs, a lot of lows, but that one felt even more heightened, I think.

You know, we played against two amazing players and I think we had .1% of the crowd on our side. Yeah, it was really tough.

It was really, like she said, we stuck together throughout the whole thing, which was really important and I think probably pulled us through in the end. We were brave even after we weren't brave when we were trying to close it out the first time, I guess, or first few times, I don't even know. Don't even tell me.

I'm really happy, and I hope it was exciting for everyone to watch. I guess we put on a show.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. It was a hostile atmosphere, for sure. Erin, in that 11th game in the third set, what did that fan say? Did the chair umpire, did that fan get removed? Because we saw the screen that he still remained. What happened there?

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: It was basically me trying to stick up for Gaby. He was targeting Gaby. Every time she would go over to her towel, he would just be in her face, and it would never be to me. I don't know what he said. I don't know if there's anything inappropriate.

But I just, I mean, I'm all for cheering for your favorite team and everything like that in a respectful way.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: He was looking in my eyes as I was there.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: I kept thinking, Oh, he wasn't saying anything to me at all. Why Gaby? You know what I mean? Like, you can't target a specific person like that. I think that's inappropriate.

So, yeah, I asked for him to leave or at least to get him to calm down. The ref, I said I wanted him out. He never left, but I think she put a security guard there so each time he would try and say something I think he would get him to stop.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: He was quiet after that.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Yeah, he was quiet. It did help. I don't know if that was dramatic for me to want him out. I've seen it done before.

Q. Did you hear anything that he said? Was he trying to say something between your service games, or...

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: It was every single time that I went to the towel at that box, that in my direction, he was cheering for Leylah and Taylor but being, like, You can break her, just being extra, but looking at me. See, I have no problem if I'm here and you're looking at them cheering them on, but you can't look directly in my face and cheer like that.

He was, like, What?

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: He was in the first row, as well. Like right there.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: You just can't do that.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: He knew what he was doing.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: You can't do that directly. It's like me... No, that's just not okay.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Hopefully that answered your question.

Q. Erin, have you settled down a little bit? Because you said on court, I'm in a bit of a shock after that, because it was so dramatic.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Right. Have I settled down?

Q. Yeah.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Yeah. I mean, yeah. I think I've definitely settled down. Showering helps. It's been an hour since the match.

I think even directly after I was probably settled a little bit down in comparison to during the match, because yeah, I think that brought a feisty side of me out (smiling).

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: Love to see it.

Q. You were intense there for a while not just with the spectator.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: That was the most mentally tough thing I've ever had to deal with in my entire life, easily. Well, okay, on a tennis court. On a tennis court. I think it's a difficult environment, you know. I don't know...

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: Tough. We were just, like, yeah, the whole world was against us basically.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: It does feel like that when you're in the moment and you're emotional and you're trying to win the match.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: It's so loud.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: It was crazy loud.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: Sometimes we couldn't hear each other. We couldn't hear the box. That's why I had to go over, because we couldn't hear them. Normally on all the outside courts if, like, they say anything, we hear them fine. That's why I had to keep going over because I was like, I don't know what's going on.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: I played two Americans here last year in the second round, and it was a really, really hard environment. I knew today was going to be really difficult. I didn't really think it was going to be like that but now I know. That's okay.

Q. Couple of key moments in the match. Up 4-1 in that third set and let it slip, and also up 7-2 --

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: We were down 7-2.

Q. Can you give us thoughts on that period of the match.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: I definitely slowed down my serve on my service game. I thought I played not to lose instead of to win. I lost sight of the process, and that showed in that game. And they played really well.

I missed a couple of my targets on some of my volleys of where I should have hit them to make them feel more uncomfortable. Leylah came up with two really good angles because of that.

Yeah, I mean, the momentum can change so fast. They're good servers, good returners. Even though it was like, oh, then we're still up 4-2 and we have another service game, it doesn't necessarily feel -- it feels like the gap is becoming smaller and smaller --

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: It didn't feel good.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: -- very quickly. Even though we were still ahead, you know.

Then with the crowd just every single point feels like it's three points. That's how it feels when you lose a point in that environment.

And then at 7-2, yeah, we were gifted with two doubles, which was really interesting. Then I think that definitely helped us, you know.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: I think we were trying to put more pressure when we were down 7-2, we were saying if we're going to lose the match, we're going to...

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: Yeah, yep.

Q. You said on court, Erin, you hope you won some friends over for the next match. If it's Coco and Jessica, do you think...

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: We hope so.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Well, I'm still not American, so I don't think they'll cheer for us. But, I mean, if it's against them, yeah, I think we're ready.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: We know what it feels like, now we know exactly what to expect.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Yeah, I think we just dealt with it all. I think, yeah. I'm not saying we're going to win. I'm just saying we're going to be fine dealing with the emotions. We'll still have .1% of the crowd. That's fine.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: We just need our box.

Q. Where does this rank for you as a doubles duo for wins considering all that you dealt with and all that you overcame, especially 7-2 down in the tiebreak?

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: For us as a team? Oh, the biggest so far, I'd say. Wouldn't you?

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Yeah. We have had some good wins together.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: Not in that environment.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: This is only our fourth or fifth tournament? Fourth tournament. Yeah, that was definitely the biggest. Dealing with everything.

You know, it's not, at the end of the day, you're playing at a Grand Slam against the best players in the world, and it's not just about tennis. You wish it was, but it's not.

GABRIELA DABROWSKI: Yeah.

ERIN ROUTLIFFE: Thinking about that and dealing with everything around us, I would say it's definitely our biggest win together.